Sharing anti-government messages, audiovisuals to become unlawful in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian government has drafted a law banning the sharing of anti-government protest messages and audiovisuals via phones and computers. The draft law tabled to the parliament on Tuesday make it punishable by law the act of sharing or disseminating any messages or audiovisuals that encourages people to protest against the government.

The Ethiopian government has also began registering every cellphone in the nation while shutting down social media apps for the last one month.

The stringent law and restrictions on the social media came after police brutality and deadly force against peaceful protesters in the Oromia region and elsewhere in the country were instantly shared by millions of Ethiopians worldwide, unmasking the true nature of the tyrannical regime in Addis Ababa.

The law would also allow authorities to spy on personal computers. The law stipulates that investigators, cyber security professionals and other authorities could spy on personal computers with court warrant. Police could spy and search personal computers “if they find it necessary.” Police could detain suspects of “cyber criminals” for 4 months without arraigning the suspects to court.

The Ethiopian government had spent millions of dollars to spy on computers of opposition politicians and journalists living in the US and elsewhere, as revealed by the Washington Post investigative report a year ago.